Harwood boys hoops: ‘Really good, very soon’
March 6, 2021 | By Katie Martin 
UPDATE: The first name of Coach Jay Bellows was corrected.
In his second year as head coach of Harwood Boys Basketball, Jay Bellows owns that the team is building after setting a new path last year that ended 4-16-0.
“We have lots of emerging players on the team. I’m looking forward to what some of our older kids can do now that they have had a full year in the new system, and what our younger kids will be able to accomplish against older players. This program is going to be really good, very soon,” he said. “I love coaching these kids, and the game of basketball as well. I look forward to all aspects of it.”
Bellows is assisted by Brett Hill, Josh Olney, and Pat McHue on the coaching staff.
Harwood 47, Lamoille 60
Harwood opened the season hosting Lamoille High School on Feb.15 and the Highlanders fell to the Lancers by 13 points.
“Hosting our first game was very interesting,” Bellows explained.
Due to the COVID restrictions, the away team actually has more fans (their JV team) in the stands than the home team does. The home JV team leaves while the away JV squad waits for varsity to play to head home.
“It’s odd playing in front of no fans…you really have to try to bring your own energy as much as possible,” Bellows said. “It’s tough, but the kids are working through it like we hoped they would. Truthfully, we are all just really appreciative of the fact that we get to play games at all. Seeing all that our AD staff, Chris Langevin and Dannielle LaFlamme, does to make these games happen (cleaning spaces, chairs, balls, boards, etc. etc.), just makes us all the more appreciative.”
The Harwood team did well, their coach said, down by one one point (21-20) at the halftime mark. But ultimately they didn’t manage to hit the shots they were making.
“On the defensive side, we communicated well and helped in the first half but were unable to keep that momentum throughout the whole game. Lamoille played very well, they are a really well-coached team by a really good guy,” said Bellows.
The team needs to work on defensive strategy, Bellows added.. Lamoille was able to get 18 more shots at the basket than Harwood. But a highlight from his perspective was the team’s younger guards taking care of the ball -- something he hopes they will do more of.
“As a whole, we are not a short team. Sawyer, Isaiah, Chris, Jake, Cole, Jasper, Spencer and Lewis are all pretty big kids, we need them to box out and own the boards. We will get there. This team is dedicated to each other, with good teammates all around. The captains have done a nice job keeping everyone positive through the delays, and we really look forward to seeing where they are through the next couple of weeks,” said Bellows.
Harwood 63, Stowe 53
The Montpelier game date was canceled, leaving the team with a good chunk of time before they met Stowe High School on Feb. 23 when Harwood pulled off their first win of the season.
The 10-point difference in the final score was hard-fought, Bellows said, with the team putting in a lot of effort on their foul shots.
“The HU boys were able to make 19 of 26 foul shots to help close it out. The young guys helped put it away with sophomore Cooper Olney hitting 6 of 8, freshman Tobey Bellows hitting 5 of 6, and sophomore Cole Hill making 3 of 4 from the line,” the coach said.
Scoring was evenly distributed with Olney at 13, Bellows with 11, and Christopher James and Sawyer Simmons each having 9 each. Washington had a notable 11 rebounds and five blocked shots.
Harwood 22, Missisquoi 54
Harwood hosted Missisquoi last Friday, Feb. 26, and added one to the loss column.
Harwood 45, Vergennes 59
Harwood came up short in the final minutes of Monday’s away game in Vergennes. The Commodores turned up the heat just before the final buzzer to earn their first win for the season, 59-45 over the Highlanders.
Isaiah Washington led Harwood with 9 points. Cooper Olney and Christopher James each had 7; Sawyer Simmons added six; Tobey Bellows and Jasper Koliba logged five each.
U-32 74, Harwood 51
U-32 dealt Harwood a blistering defeat on Thursday led by senior guard Aiden Hawkins and his relentless scoring, especially on 3-pointers. From the early lead of 17-0, the Raiders were in control and never lost it. In the second quarter, Hawkins nailed four of his seven 3-pointers of the game. Harwood trailed throughout, ending the half at 36-13 and starting the final quarter down 28 at 58-30.
Top scorers for the Highlanders were Tobey Bellows with 11 points, Chris James with 10, and Lewis Clapp at eight.
Harwood has two home games next week, hosting Lake Region at 7 p.m. Monday; on Thursday, they host Lyndon Institute with a 7 p.m. start as well.
Katie Martin is an assistant coach with Harwood girls hockey.